Silencing phone scams is a big job because four billion robocalls are made to Americans every month, and the average individual receives 14 calls each week. In addition to being annoying and time-consuming, the constant ringing of the phone can be outright dangerous. Sean Voskuhl, director of the AARP in Oklahoma, said phone calls and text messages were the second and third-most frequent modes of contact reported to the Federal Trade Commission.

“The average victim of a phone scam lost $1,500 and the average text scam victim lost $1,000. Comparatively, the victims of email scams, the most frequently-used contact method, lost an average of $600. It’s clear that despite technological advances, automated phone calls and texts remain among the most popular way to target older Americans.”

While not all robocalls are fraudulent, the vast majority come from criminal scammers. Voskuhl said there are three common elements to a scam like that.

“There’s always time pressure. Something has to be handled with no delay. There’s a threat of loss, either for the victim or someone close to the victim. There’s also a promise of a gain, financial or otherwise. One or all of these elements mean you should be very cautious about who you’re dealing with.”

There are three ways to cut down on these scam calls.

“Add a call blocker. Check with your telephone provider about options, many of which come at no cost. You can also let unfamiliar phone numbers go to voicemail. If it’s a legitimate call, they’ll leave a message. Otherwise, the easiest method is to hang up if you don’t know who they are. You can also get any fraud questions answered at answers.aarp.org.”

If you think you or someone you know has been scammed, the AARP Fraud Watch Helpline can help you. These are AARP volunteers who devote their time to helping others. The number is 877-908-3360. 

Learn more on Wednesday night at 6:30 pm Central Time on RFD TV or online at AARP Dot Org forward slash AARP Live (www.aarp.org/aarplive)